How Is AI Used in Lobbying?

Discussions surrounding the use of AI in lobbying have come to the forefront as AI has surged in popularity. Between data analysis, stakeholder mapping, and issue tracking, AI has many applications in lobbying. Read our overview and learn how Plural harnesses the power of AI.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) refers to machines programmed to think and learn like humans. AI is a broad field with a recent surge in popularity, use, and controversy.

AI’s applications across sectors has been a key subject of discussion. In the field of lobbying, AI has many potential applications. This includes data analysis, predictive analytics, communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy issue tracking. As AI continues to evolve, many more uses are still discovered and created.

The Current Landscape of AI, Lobbying, and Public Policy

Congressional hearings have sought to understand the use of AI in lobbying and public policy. They’ve examined AI’s strengths and dangers, as well as the Biden administration’s AI policies.

On October 30, 2023, President Biden signed an Executive Order regarding AI. The Order outlines appropriate government use of AI. It also sets forth a modernization plan for the federal government’s AI infrastructure. With this plan, the Administration hopes to ensure that the government does not “fall behind” when it comes to AI technology.

The Order also includes multiple directives regarding AI. These directives relate to understanding discriminatory AI, the ethics of AI, and consumer protections.

How Is AI Used in Lobbying?

In lobbying, AI has many uses. This includes data analysis, predictive analytics, communications, stakeholder mapping, and policy issue tracking. These processes are AI-driven, but followed through with human oversight. The type of oversight can determine the level of accuracy and influence.

Data Analysis

AI-powered data analysis helps users quickly and efficiently analyze vast amounts of data. This includes legislative data, public opinion polls, and social media trends. These analyses provide information within minutes, allowing for fast and effective responses.

Predictive Analytics

Predictive analytics can predict future political and legislative trends based on historical data. Lobbyists can anticipate changes, identify potential allies and opponents, and adjust their strategies.

Communications Tools

AI-powered communications tools include chatbots and natural language processing (NLP) tools. These tools can help lobbyists automate communication with constituents, lawmakers, and the public. These tools can also assist in crafting persuasive messaging and responses.

Stakeholder Mapping

When it comes to stakeholder mapping, AI assists with identifying and categorizing stakeholders. With these tools, lobbyists can tailor their approaches, including messaging and communications.

Issue Tracking

AI can continuously monitor legislation, regulations, and public sentiment related to specific issues. This enables lobbyists to stay informed and adjust their strategies as needed.

The Benefits and Risks of AI in Lobbying

AI-driven lobbying offers numerous practical benefits, including enhanced efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and the ability to process vast quantities of data for precise insights. Societally, AI has the potential to democratize lobbying by providing tools accessible to individual citizens, not just corporate lobbyists.

However, risks exist. The ‘black box’ nature of AI algorithms can raise transparency and ethical concerns, and the reliance on data makes bias a perennial issue. Moreover, the automation of content generation poses an existential threat to the authenticity of public discourse.

Conversations around AI’s benefits and risks focus on bias, discrimination, and ongoing stereotypes. These issues proliferate AI software because AI is built by humans, to attempt to think like humans. Recently, the Biden administration announced an AI Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights aims to lessen the impacts of these biases in AI software.

Reducing and eliminating AI discrimination is particularly important in criminal justice policy. This area of policy is relatively new, with immense lobbying firms and groups. The newly announced executive order aims to ensure fairness throughout the justice system. It sets forth best practices for using AI in various aspects of the criminal justice system, including sentencing, parole, probation, pretrial release, detention, crime forecasting, predictive policing, and forensic analysis.

Overall, reducing the risks of AI in lobbying requires eliminating the stereotypes and biases used to create AI.

Looking Ahead: AI in Lobbying

The field of AI-driven policy and lobbying is still in development. At Plural, we know that AI will be central to the field of policy, lobbying, and advocacy. Harnessing ethical AI usage will be key.

Technology gives us an immense amount of useful, impactful, and necessary information. Often, however, the amount of information we encounter each day is difficult for any one person or group to process. AI allows people to gather and process information quickly, allowing for greater efficiency.

With the 2024 presidential election on the horizon, AI’s role in lobbying is expected to grow. Technological advancements will further refine predictive analyses, and as society grapples with digital misinformation, the demand for verifiable, AI-generated content will surge. Lobbying groups, particularly in tech-centric locales like Silicon Valley, may increasingly rely on AI to navigate the legislative process at the federal level.

How Plural Uses AI

Policymaking is complicated, and bills are often lengthy and difficult to digest. Translating between policymakers and the people impacted by policy is crucial. Plural utilizes AI to assist our users in finding, tracking, and learning about key bills.

Plural stands at the forefront of this AI revolution in lobbying. With advanced search options, users can pinpoint relevant legislative documents, discover related bills, and adapt strategies using the Momentum Indicator. The AI Bill Summarizer condenses complex bill texts, saving invaluable time. By combining human oversight with AI’s analytical power, Plural provides confidence levels unseen in traditional lobbying practices.

Get Started With Plural

With Plural, it’s easier than ever to get and stay ahead in the public policy landscape. Plural makes it easy for policy teams to:

• Access superior public policy data 
• Be the first to know about new bills and changes in bill status
• Streamline your day with seamless organization features
• Harness the power of AI to gain insights into individual bills and the entire legislative landscape
• Keep everyone on the same page with internal collaboration and external reporting all in one place

Interested in learning more? Create a free account or book a demo today!